


The Bleached Ghoul

by orphan_account



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: My First Fanfic, On Hiatus so I can focus on school!, Role Reversal, ghoul!Hide, hidekane, more to be added as story progresses, uhh probable Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-22
Packaged: 2018-12-26 08:23:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12055071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Hide has managed to keep his presence as a ghoul at a low level for a bit more than a year now, that is, until a rumors spread and reach the CCG, forcing him to go into hiding, where Kaneki desperately tries to reach him, to no avail. He is found only weeks after Kaneki finds him and is taken to the CCG for experimentation, the Hide that comes out? Completely changed.





	1. Coffee and a Secret

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! so sorry if it's too short!

The sun shone through the windows of Anteiku on the two best friends engrossed in a conversation, each sipping a coffee, but only one eating a sandwich. Hide ran a hand through his bleached hair and leaned back in his seat. “Jeez I have so many days of working, I missed just chattin’ with you, Kaneki,” He said to his friend who sat across from him, crumbs littering his face.

Kaneki shook his head softly with a smile. “I still don’t understand why you would get a job here of all places, you’re more of a park ranger than coffee maker,” He remarked, leaning forward and looking around the small cafe.

Hide shrugged his shoulders, hand resting in his hair around where the bleach was growing out. “Even I need some calm sometimes in my life,” He said, taking another sip from the coffee that sat in front of him slowly.

“Yeah, but with this job, you get more days in than out, which is not something you’re usually into,” Kaneki pointed out, gesturing with his almost empty latte cup in his friend’s face. He put down his cup and grabbed his wallet from his pocket. “Are you sure you aren’t hungry?” He asked as he sifted around his wallet.

Hide shook his head, slurping down the rest of his coffee loudly to cover the grumble of his hungry stomach. “Let’s go, I’m ready for a break from Anteiku!” He announced, setting his cup down and standing up, putting some money on the table just before Kaneki could and giving his friend a cheeky grin.

A chuckle escaped Kaneki’s mouth as they walked towards the door to the outside, a gust of cold air nearly freezing them when they stepped out. “Where do you wanna go to next?” Kaneki asked, looking at his friend, whose teeth were already chattering.

A pensive look took form on Hide’s face as he thought for a moment. “Home, we got exams next week,” He reasoned, knowing Kaneki would give in to studying.

It took a few moments of confusion as to why Hide would want to study before Kaneki nodded. “Okay, see ya in class, I guess,” He said, fist bumping Hide before they turned seperate ways, each to their respective apartment complexes.

Hide’s bright orange sneakers different greatly to the pale white snow that crunched underfoot as he walked to the stairs, groaning when he realized he had three sets of stairs to climb before he could settle down for the night.

His stomach growled once more and he grumbled angrily under his breath, “Yeah, we get it.” His eyes stayed trained on the ground as he hurried up the stairs, the snow stopping his feet from making noise upon contact with the metal steps.

By the time he reached the door to his apartment, Hide’s breath was visible in the frigid air around me, so he let out a sigh of relief when the warm air of his apartment hit him. Shutting the door quickly, Hide kicked his shoes off and wobbled over to the couch, where he laid down automatically, letting out another sigh.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, scaring him out of his peaceful daze and he fumbled to grab it from his pocket. He flipped it open and checked the caller ID. It was Touka. Oh great, what did her highness have to complain about now?

 

“Hello, hello, how may I serve you, your majesty?” Hide joked into the phone, sitting up instead of laying down, now.

 

“You’re a dumbass you know that right?” Touka’s snap rang clear through the phone and made Hide flinch a bit, she was scary.

 

“You’ll have to elaborate.”

 

“I’m not hungry,” Touka mocked in Hide’s voice, “Pretty sure all of Japan heard your stomach growl.”

 

As if on cue, his stomach growled once more, and a scoff came through the speaker.

 

“I’ll take care of it.”

 

“No you won’t.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“Oh please we’ve been doing this for a year, at least the force feeding stopped, if only we could stop with the starving now, too.”

 

Hide winced at that, a headache pounding his head and a zap of pain in his side, but he tried not to show it in his voice.

 

“Hey I’ll have you know I can manage just fine on my own, miss poopy pants.”

 

“‘Manage’ my ass, Nagachika.”

 

“I’m hanging up now!”

 

“Don’t you-”

 

The phone beeped, indicating the call was over. Hide glanced woefully towards his fridge, wishing he could have the pots and pots of ramen that had once been in there back. Now, all that was in his fridge was coffee, lots and lots of coffee. 

Touka was right about one thing, Hide sure as hell could not ‘handle’ this, just as he couldn’t every month before, but this month. This month, he was determined. This month he was determined not to have to succumb to the thing that made him different from the rest of humanity. His reliance on human meat for sustenance. 

His head rested on the deep green cushions that lied on the back of his sofa, letting out a groan of frustration as he kicked a water bottle that sat on the floor nearby.

He looked straight up at the ceiling and did something he never did. He cursed the beings he didn’t even think existed.

“Hey, wouldn’t mind telling me how the hell I got stuck here? Oh yeah, ‘cause I’m a dumbass who falls for cute brunettes with pretty eyes!” He yelled, thankful that the walls in this complex were extremely thick. 

His eyes once more went to the stainless steel. fridge that reflected his image back at him as he walked towards it, his feet rubbing against the soft carpet. The fridge door opened and hide picked up a burger Kaneki had given him a few days ago, to make up for missing a lunch together. 

The sound of sizzling filled the room, fighting with Hide’s stomach for who could be the loudest, neither coming out on top. Hide’s pale hand flipped the patty and rubbed under his eyes and then his temples in an attempt to quell his migraines.

The burger sat there, in front of him, a nice barbeque sauce on top of it. Hide could not brign himself to taste it. He sat there, watching steam curl off of the burger, and it took a good ten minutes before he could do it.

His tongue burst with so many flavors, but none good. Hide had to clasp a hand over his mouth to avoid from throwing it all up on the nice wood table he had bought a month ago. It took a while, but soon, the whole burger was sitting uncomfortably in Hide’s digestive tract and he just had to hope it would stay there, hopefully even pass.  
Hide gave a small, but weak smile, even though he knew no one was there. “Thank you for the meal, it was delicious,” The lie escaped his lips without a second thought, and for the rest of the night, Hide lay, curled on the dark blue shag carpet of his apartment, wondering which would come first: sleep, or vomit. 

Thankfully, it was the former.


	2. Thank You for The Meal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hide is "ill" and Kaneki acts as a housewife, only to spill the beans and have Touka save his sorry behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So no matter how much I edit this, AO3 won't save my indentations, so I'm really sorry about that!

Hide sat on his sofa, curled in a ball, a movie playing on the TV, but he was barely paying attention. His body was racked with shivers that came and went. A fever ever present, and the shooting pains in his stomach attacking him just when he felt better.  
A light knock rattled Hide out of his daze and he glanced over to the door, calling out, “Who is it?” His voice sounded rusty, even to him, so he cleared his throat a bit.  
Kaneki’s voice answered back, “It’s me. You, uh, didn’t come to school today so I thought I’d come see how you’re doing!” Hide remembered the lie he had told his best friend for his monthly disappearances, that he started getting pretty sick every so often.  
The blonde’s hands fumbled around for his blanket to wrap around himself, to help with the lie. “I’ve been better!” He called back, trying not to be to startled when the doorknob started turning.  
A grey eye peeked in first, to check for decency, before Kaneki stepped into the apartment room, grabbing a pot from the cabinet and filling it with water, placing it on the stove to heat up. “You need anything?” Kaneki asked, walking over to the curtains to pull them open.  
Hide shook his head, blocking his eyes from the bright sun. “Just a bit hungry, ‘sall,” He mumbled, which his stomach helped support by grumbling loudly.  
Kaneki chuckled a bit, grabbing some pasta from the closet and placing it on the counter, glancing back at Hide, but Hide caught a worried look in his friend’s eye.  
“What’s the latest gossip at school?” Hide asked, making the effort to sit up and lean on the couch arm to look at his friend, a cheeky grin on his face. The grin slowly melted off when he saw Kaneki wince at the question. “What? Are people messing with you while I’m out?” Hide asked, concern filling his voice.  
“No,” Kaneki mumbled, looking at the ground as he mumbled, “A dumb rumor about you is going around, is all.” He could not meet Hide’s eyes, so instead kept checking on the water, waiting for it to boil.  
A nervous chuckle emerged from Hide’s mouth. “Like what? That I’m gone because I ran away with a girl? God I wish,” He joked, but he felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand up as his mind raced.  
Kaneki gritted his teeth as he looked at Hide slowly. “They, uh, they’re saying you’re a ghoul, and that’s why you keep missing school,” He said softly, but loud enough for Hide to hear.  
Alarm sirens went off in Hide’s head as he recoiled, as if he had been punched in the face. He had to keep up the facade, even though the headache and the.. Delicious smell.. That filled the room. “Really? Me? They’re a bunch of dumbasses,” He remarked, but he felt the color drain out of his face.  
Sadly, Hide wasn’t the only one of the two to notice his ghastly complexion. Kaneki rushed over, hand on Hide’s shoulder and the back of his other hand on his forehead. “Jesus, you’re burning up!” He stammered in shock, laying Hide down and rushing over to get a cloth and some ice.  
Placing it by Hide’s head, Kaneki soaked the cloth for a second before putting it on Hide’s head, deciding it best not to mention how shocked Hide had looked when Kaneki had spoke of the dumb rumor. It was just a dumb rumor.. Right?  
Hide slowly drifted off to sleep for a few minutes, and Kaneki took advantage of those minutes to put the pasta in the now boiling water. He sat at Hide’s side, holding his best friend’s hand.  
A few minutes later, Kaneki was eating dinner, his pasta in his lap as he sat by Hide’s side. How come Hide had never told him that he got this sick? He thought for a moment about who could possibly know what to do in this scenario, his mind going to the girl Hie always hung out with.  
He dug around in Hide’s bookbag for his phone, found the girl’s name, Touka, he now remembered, and hit dial.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

The call picked up and the girl’s annoyed voice came through the other end. “What? I’m a bit busy at work, where you would be if-”  
Kaneki cut her off before she could finish. “It’s not Hide, it’s his friend, Uh, Kaneki,” He spoke quick, foot tapping anxiously as he dipped another cloth into the ice, hoping the fever would go down.  
“O-oh. Hi, why are you on Hide’s phone?” Touka sounded surprised, and there were a few whispers as she asked someone to take over for her for a bit.  
“Well, uh, Hide is really sick, and he said he gets sick often, so I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to help, since you hang out with him a lot, he might have told you, and I just-” Kaneki started rambling, his nervousness getting the best of him.  
Touka cut him off with a bit of a curse. “Okay, just avoid any, uh, bad news, I think, he, uh, doesn’t tell me much, but he’s pretty stubborn, he won’t stay sick long,” The lie didn’t flow very smoothly, but it convinced Kaneki.  
“Oh. Well. I gave him bad news on accident, but I-I’m sure it’ll be fine, like you said,” Kaneki mumbled, cursing himself for being so blatant with Hide. A bit of color was returning to his friend’s cheeks, but he still seemed asleep.  
A groan announced Touka’s frustration. “Okay, just, uh, let him sleep, or get him to sleep, that’s best for illness,” She sounded unsure, but Kaneki trusted her.  
“Okay. Thank you, Touka,” He said softly, hanging up the phone and leaving the plate of pasta he had prepared for Hide on the coffee table along with a note. Kaneki grabbed his bags and headed out the door.

 

In the dead of night, Hide stirred, but not willfully, if it was up to him, he would have stayed asleep, but because he was getting kicked in the stomach by Touka.  
“You’re a dumbass you know.”  
Hide smiled up at her, squinting to make out where she was in the dark. “It’s good to see you too,” He mumbled, sitting up, letting the soggy cloth on his forehead tumble into his lap.  
A brown packet tumbled into his lap, and the aroma floated into his nose and drove him to open the packet automatically, not even noticing when he had finished eating. “Thank you,” He said softly to Touka, moving over to let her sit down.  
“Your friend, uh, what’s his name? Oh yeah, Kaneki, he said he gave you some bad news?” Touka asked, an eye raised, not exactly fully concerned, but a little bit of her worry leaking out.  
Hide’s face grew dark as he remembered what Kaneki had told him the night before. He nodded softly, and Touka made a motion that told him to tell her what was going on. He looked her in the eyes and whispered, “People are finding out about me being a ghoul.”  
Touka’s eyes widened a little, but she tried her best not to look too scared. “Oh.” She whispered back. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Touka tapped her lap. “Well, your friend made you a meal, might as well eat it.” They had a rule between them that whenever Kaneki or Yoriko made them meals, they ate it together, so they both got a little sick. The manager hated this very much, but he made no movements to stop it.  
Hide nodded, walking slowly over to the silverware and grabbing two forks for the pasta. He handed Touka her fork and they sat, each across from each other, the pasta in the middle, and they began to eat.  
Little did they know, the footsteps of the CCG always lurk, and today, they were lurking around Hideyoshi Nagachika’s apartment.


	3. The Suiting Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Doves arrive, Hide is a little wimp, and Kaneki worries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The indentations still will not save, so my apologies again! Hope it is still enjoyable!

The two were almost halfway through the plate of pasta when the doorbell rang. Hide looked at Touka, and she did the same, slowly rising and walking to the door. It was subtle, but they both stiffened a little when they saw the silver briefcases.  
“Is this the residence of Hideyoshi Nagachika?” A gruff male voice spoke, and from Hide’s seat he could see a tall man with choppy hair. Touka nodded silently and made room for the two Doves to walk in.  
Hide set his fork down and stood, bowing to the investigators, who nodded back. Hide looked over the man and realized he had seen this man before, just a glimpse a few months back. Then his eyes scanned the woman, who seemed eerily familiar, though he had never seen her before.  
The man stretched his hand out to Hide. “My name is Amon Koutaro, and this is my partner Akira Mado,” Amon said, looking around the small apartment, his eyes resting on the plate of pasta for a few seconds longer.  
The woman, Akira, was snooping around and walked over to Hide. “Some of your classmates were concerned about you, said they thought you might be a ghoul,” She stated simply, not asking any other questions.  
Hide widened his eyes in surprise, Kaneki had mentioned rumors but not that he was getting reported. “My classmates are handfuls, probably just a prank, knowing them,” Hide joked, hand on the back of his head as he laughed lightly.  
The investigators glanced at each other and Amon cleared his throat. “Do you mind if we look around your apartment?” His eyes already scanning every square inch.  
Hide shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “Go ahead,” He said, sitting back down and continuing to eat his pasta, sharing a glance with Touka, trying to get her to sit back down, and she understood, walking slowly to the table and picking up her fork.  
They continued to eat the small plate of food slowly, trying not to falter in their munching as the ghoul investigators looked for any signs of Hide being a ghoul. The next five minutes seemed to drag on for hours, until finally, the investigators were done looking around. “Our apologies for bothering you, we take our work very seriously,” Akira said, bowing before the two Doves left.  
Hide let out a breath and got up, taking a look around the apartment for any hidden microphones or recording devices. He leaned against the wall, facing Touka, who motioned for them to wait a few seconds and keep ‘eating.’  
Hide sat back down at ate the pasta, glancing at Touka worriedly, his free hand bouncing around in his lap like a fish on land.  
Finally, they were almost certain they were alone and Touka looked at Hide, hands in her lap, already feeling a bit ill from the pasta. “So. That old geezer’s family, probably,” was all she said, and Hide nodded, thinking back to when Touka had killed Kureo Mado. They sat in silence again for a few seconds.  
“I dunno if it’s safe here anymore,” Hide mumbled, hand on his stomach as he leaned against the sofa.  
Touka scoffed, giving him a questioning look, but the worry glinted in her eyes. “So, what, you want to hide? Suiting, I would say,” She offered a little joke, to which Hide answered with a smile.  
“Well, actually, yeah, seems pretty safe if they can’t find me,” He murmured, fiddling with his hands in his lap, looking at Touka, who had an incredulous look on her face, looking ready to laugh.  
Her hands made a grand movement as she exaggerated her words, “Oh yes, you go into hiding because of your dumb classmates, real smart, Hide, reaaal smart.”  
Their faces were only a few inches and Hide grabbed Touka’s cheeks and made her look at him. “You need to take me seriously, Touka. He said, distress clear in his voice.  
A sigh escaped her lips as Touka backed away from Hide, standing and cleaning up the plate and forks. “I- I’ll ask the manager, but that’s as much as I’m do-” She was cut off by a tight hug from behind as Hide picked her up and spun her around, nearly making the plates clatter to the floor, but Touka caught them before they could shatter.  
“You won’t regret it! Thank you, Touka!” Hide exclaimed, doing a little victory dance in the middle of the kitchen, hoping to get a laugh out of Touka. He walked into his bedroom, grabbing a duffel bag and shoving all of his important stuff in there.  
Around ten minutes to half an hour later, Hide walked out of his room, about to announce to Touka that he was ready when she was, when he saw she had left, a note in her stead.  
The bags landed on the carpet with a soft thud as he picked up the sticky note, reading the words twenty times, ‘I’ll call you when we’re set up, until then, don’t do anything dumb.’ Hide snickered after reading it one last time, crumpling it up and throwing it in the trash.

 

For about a week after that day, Hide went about his life, always waiting for a call, his hand on his phone at all times. Every time he went out, there seemed to be ever present Doves, and it may have been a trick of mind, but it felt like he was being watched.  
While he kept on joking with Kaneki, walking around town, around campus, to classes, from classes, he felt on edge, always ready to run if he needed to. Kaneki seemed to notice this, but said nothing, just compensated by trying extra hard to comfort his friend.  
Then the day came, he got a call from Touka. “The place is set up, get your shit, say ‘adios’ to your pal, and head over to Anteiku.” That was all he needed to hear. With his duffel bag hoisted on his shoulder, he called Kaneki, landing on voice mail, he wondered if this was going to be the same.  
The beep came and Hide stammered, “Heyo! I- uh- I’m just callin’ to say, I’m gonna be leaving for a few days, but don’t worry about it, I won’t be too far away!” This was all he could choke out, as he felt a few tears well up, and he wondered once more if he was being too extreme by going into hiding, but he didn’t want to go to the ghoul prison, or even worse, die. He hung up the phone and shoved the cellphone in his pocket, taking slow steps towards Anteiku.  
The bell rang as he walked into the cafe, and Touka met his eyes, in her casual clothes. He walked towards her, and she grabbed his arm, their eyes meeting once more. “Are you sure about this?” She asked, receiving only a scared nod from Hide.  
The two ghouls walked out of the back door to Anteiku, but only Touka would return later that night, after she left Hide hidden away, almost impossible to be found.

 

Days passed. Then a week, and then two. Kaneki had begun to get nervous only three days after Hide had left for… wherever he was. The raven haired boy sat by his window, flipping his phone over and over, waiting for a call from his best friend.  
He dialed Hide’s number and let it ring through, knowing Hide wouldn’t pick up, but still hoping. “Yo! It’s Hide, probably sleeping, you know what to do,” the voicemail message said into Kaneki’s ear as the boy thought about what he was going to say, the beep startling him.  
“H-Hey, Hide, you, uh, haven’t texted in a while, just called to see if you’re okay, see you soon, right?” He stammered, clicking the call off and sliding his phone back into his pocket, walking to the door slowly.  
His feet clacked against the concrete as Kaneki walked slowly down the street, heading to the cafe, hoping a cup of coffee would clear his mind. The bell on the door echoed throughout the empty cafe as Kaneki walked in, catching Touka’s attention. He sat down, and she walked over to take his order, not remarking how down he looked.  
Kaneki looked over Touka’s face as he stated his order of coffee, not able to shake the feeling that she knew where Hide had run off to. “Hey, Touka?” He asked softly, not sure if she’d hear, but she did.  
“Hm?” She hummed, pausing in her turn away from the table, “Is something wrong?” She asked, blinking slowly at Kaneki.  
They looked each other in the eyes as Kaneki asked, “You… You wouldn’t happen to know when Hide will be back, would you?” His voice shook as he spoke, hands clasped together in his lap, no longer looking at Touka.  
The girl shook her head. “He called me saying he was taking a few days off, probably some family stuff, I don’t think we need to worry,” Her voice sounded a bit off, but it was so subtle Kaneki could barely notice it.  
He nodded his head anyway, and as he spoke, he was planning how to contact his best friend, “Yeah, you’re right, I shouldn’t worry.” His hand rested on his chin as he spoke, and the conversation was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm trying to fit more HideKane in next chapter


	4. Chapter 4

Hide rubbed his eyes, trying to shake off the drowsiness from a long night of sleep. He sat up, the sleeping bag falling down to around his waist. His cold hands grasped his phone as he saw the screen that almost never stopped lighting up with messages or incoming calls. They were almost always from Kaneki. Reading these messages sent a pang through his heart as he remembered the fact that he had pussied out and hid from the Doves when they had only spoken to him once.

A smack emanated throughout the cold room as Hide lowered his hand from his forehead. He rubbed his hands against his arms, trying to heat himself up in the cold air of this abandoned basement. Hide looked guiltily at his phone, clicking it on again and scrolling to the latest voicemail, letting Kaneki's voice fill the room. "You've been gone for a few weeks, is everything going alright? Send me a text as soon as you can, I understand if you're busy."

Hide's vision blurred as angry tears formed in his eyes. All he thought about was how much of a pussy he was, he just left, barely any reason, really, all he had was a dumb fear that Doves were going to get him. He pushed himself off the ground and wiped underneath his eyes, walking to the door and pushing it open slightly, walking up a few stairs to catch a peak out the window, a bitter laugh leaving his mouth when he realized it was only just becoming evening, meaning Touka might be stopping by, but he forgot what day of the week it was, and his phone was on its last few percent of energy, so he didn't check it.

After about three weeks, Hide had grown used to the cold air of the concrete basement in which he sat and slept all day. He had begun to lose count of how many days had passed about halfway through the second week, though. a click of a lock turning sounded throughout the empty house and Hide snuck back into the basement, where he laid back in his sleeping bag, pretending to be asleep.

Touka's light footsteps pittered down the stairs as she descended to the basement, where the same argument they had had five times already would happen. "I know you're awake," She grumbled, kicking Hide lightly. He groaned and sat up, rubbing his back.

"It was worth a shot," He grumbled, squirming out of the sleeping bag and using it to cushion his head against the hard concrete wall as he looked up at Touka.

Her hand was on her hip and she held something in one of her hands, although whether it was her purse or something else, Hide could not tell. "Are you done being a wimp?" She asked, "It's been three weeks, and Kaneki keeps dropping by looking for you."

This statement sent a shock through Hide, and Touka seemed to notice as she chuckled. "I'm good down here, it's not all that bad, really," Hide said, trying to cover it up

Touka let out a choked snort as she slid down the wall to sit next to him. "Ah yes, the comfort and luxury of a freezing cold square room. Definitely not going to drive you nuts," She remarked sarcastically.

Hide nudged her playfully and crossed his arms. "It'll take much more than a cold basement to drive me, the wimp king, nuts!" He joked, striking a pose and smirking at Touka, but she was very much aware of the heavy bags under his eyes from hours of lost sleep.

She smiled at him, although there was some sadness behind it. "I gotta get home to Hinami, but you stay put, okay?" She said, already standing up. Hide felt as if something was a bit off with this timing, but he said nothing, other than a typical goodbye, and he watched her climb the stairs.

When he was sure she was gone, he began pacing the room, his nerves aflutter. She was right about one thing, he could not stay cooped up for one more day, or else he was sure he would go crazy. His eyes darted to the stair door and he slowly approached it, hand outstretched as he turned the knob, taking a few steps up the stairs slowly. His feet began to move faster, and faster, and faster, until he opened the back door, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air and taking a step out, he wanted to go out for a bit, and Touka wouldn't be back for another week or so, so he had tons of time.

 

* * *

 

Kaneki sat at his dining table, tons of papers laid out in front of him as he tried to figure out where Hide could have gone. He knew that Hide had been a bit more nervous lately than normal, but he hadn't thought anything was going to come of it. The same thought that always came to mind during these late night searching sessions popped into mind, had Hide gotten sick of Kaneki and just left?

His doorbell ringing interrupted this thought and Kaneki stood up, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of who would be here at this hour, his heart racing when he wondered if it could be Hide, back and with an apology. He raced to the door and pulled it open, a grin on his face, but it faltered when he saw it was just Touka. Wait... how did she know where he lived?

Touka motioned inside, asking if she could enter, and he stepped to the side, letting the younger girl walk in, shutting the door behind her, watching her back with confusion as she hung her jacket on the coat rack.

"Okay, I know what you're thinking right now. 'How does she know where I live?' And I swear I have a reason, but I need you to sit down first." Touka sucked in a breath after speaking swiftly, crossing her arms and waiting for Kaneki to sit down on his couch. Reluctantly, he did, his suspicions running around his head, but his face clearly displaying his confusion.

Touka bit her lip and pulled up a chair, sitting directly across from Kaneki. "You need to leave Hide alone, I know it sucks to admit, but he left town on his own accord, so stop trying to find him, he'll text you when he can," She said, biting her lip as if she had more to say, but she wanted to hear his reaction to this.

Kaneki grabbed her hands and brought it to their eye level. "Touka, he's my best friend, I'd never stop trying to talk to him." A soft smile traced Kaneki's lips as he spoke these words, but he didn't get mad at her, not yet at least.

The room went silent for a few moments before Touka mumbled, "He doesn't want to be found, and he won't be, the stubborn fuck." Her eyes her focused on the ground, not on Kaneki anymore.

Once more, a wave of silence floated over them as the room got chillier. "Like you said, he's stubborn, but I can find him, I know Hide." Kaneki let go of Touka's hands and got up, walking to the kitchen counter as he tried to keep his cool. "Would you like some tea?" He asked, his voice unsteady as he fought back tears at the realization that Touka probably knew where Hide had run off to.

Touka shook her head and spoke softly, "Coffee would be nice, though, thank you." Her hands were clasped together and neither spoke as the kettle heated up for both the tea and the coffee.

Kaneki gave a shaky laugh as he handed Touka her coffee. "I'm not the best at making coffee, my apologies," He said softly, and they both drank their drinks, Kaneki's eyes focused on Touka, watching her, observing her, wondering so many things, but not able to control the dumbest thing coming out of his mouth.

"Were they right?" Touka frowned at this question, looking up from her cup. Kaneki cleared his throat and asked, "Were the kids at school right when they said Hide is a Ghoul?" He prayed not to get the answer he feared the most, but Touka laughed a bit.

"Hide? A Ghoul? Did you stay up a bit too late? Ghouls couldn't fit into society, at least I hope not," Touka snickered, but she hesitated before sipping her coffee again. She slurped down all that was left of the coffee, putting the mug back down on the table and standing up, bowing a little bit. "Thanks for listening, I hope you take my advice," She murmured the last bit, giving Kaneki a suspicious glance as she walked out the door, leaving the raven-haired boy to his theories, and he didn't know what to think anymore.

Did Touka know where he was? Was Hide in danger? Was Touka lying to him? What on Earth was happening with his best friend?


End file.
